Union backed Oz worker in Sri Lanka

Date: 09 January 2005

Richard Schmidt, an Australian working with the trade union-based Norwegian Peoples Aid de-mining program will return soon to his home in the Tamil areas of northern Sri Lanka to help manage emergency efforts and begin rebuilding in devastated coastal communities.

Union Aid Abroad- APHEDA, the humanitarian aid agency of the ACTU since 1984, is one of the Australian agencies with appeals for donations for the victims of the tsunami in northern and southern Sri Lanka and in Aceh.

Union Aid Abroad- APHEDA is providing assistance in northern Sri Lanka through Norwegian Peoples Aid since both are affilates of SOLIDAR, the international alliance of trade union-based aid agencies.

Richard has been working on a mine clearance program based in Kilinochchi in Northern Sri Lanka since 2002.

This program employs 600 local staff, many of whom have been directly affected by the tsunami. The Norwegian Peoples Aid team immediately began transporting wounded to hospitals and assisting with water and food to the displaced people. Now they are supporting camps for 23000 people who lost everything in the tsunami in Pallai and Mullaitivu.

Relief efforts in Sri Lanka need to take into account the impact of many years of conflict between the northern Tamil communities and the government in Colombo.

According to Richard, they have already begun to rebuild in the worst affected communities, but that restoring livelihoods through fishing will require extensive resources.

Sharan Burrow, President of the ACTU affirms " already there has been a tremendous and generous response to this tragedy by workers and unions in Australia, but we know this is not just a short-term engagement. We're committed to working alongside working people in months to come in sustained efforts to re-house families and rebuild their livelihoods."

Richard is available to speak to the media. He is in Sydney this week and in Melbourne from the 17th January 2005 for a couple of days before returning to northern Sri Lanka. His mobile in Australia is 0411 850 125.

For comments by Sharan Burrow contact her on 0419 303 849

For more information about Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA contact Peter Jennings at 1800 888 674 or on his mobile 0409 047 353.

Donations can be made to the work of Union Aid Abroad in Sri Lanka and in Acheh online at www.apheda.org.au or at the toll free number.

For further information

Contact:	Andrew Casey
Union:	Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union
Phone:	8204 7206
Fax:	92821 4480
Email:	andrewc@lhmu.org.au
WWW:	http://www.lhmu.org.au/

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